What happened to Barradale Roadhouse?
Submitted: Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 22:32
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equinox
Hi there,
In the early nineties I was looking to stop at Barradale Roadhouse. However it was not there. This is in between Nanutarra and Minilya.
Does anyone know what happened to it or have any pics?
Here's the old and current Natmaps map of the site.
Image Could Not Be Found
Image Could Not Be Found
Cheers
Alan
Reply By: Member - Joe n Mel n kids (FNQ - Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 22:46
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 22:46
from memory a fire took it out, it had roo shooters based there with freezer units and a
camp for a while but i have not been there for many years now, i seem to think it is a camping spot now ...
Cheers
Joe
AnswerID:
455581
Reply By: Motherhen - Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 23:31
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 23:31
Hi Alan
Not there in my time of travels. There is just a Main Roads 24 hour
rest area, complete with
dump point, now.
Picture can be seen here:
Barradale Roadhouse
AnswerID:
455583
Reply By: rocco2010 - Friday, May 27, 2011 at 00:08
Friday, May 27, 2011 at 00:08
Gidday
An archive I have access to says in was closed by owner
Shell in 1992 due to a downturn in business. Also said the sealing of the final section of Great Northern Highway between
Newman and
Port Hedland in 1990 had an affect
Cheers
Rocco
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Reply By: Member - John Baas (WA) - Friday, May 27, 2011 at 01:42
Friday, May 27, 2011 at 01:42
Hi Alan.
It's not a mirage; it did exist.
On my very first ever trip north to drop off younger brother at
Tom Price, 1971, on return we washed the Holden at the roadhouse.
Two years later, we camped in the Yannarie riverbed with firewood to spare; right under the RH.
Nothing but a fly blown dusty stop now.
:-(
AnswerID:
455588
Follow Up By: friar - Friday, May 27, 2011 at 02:54
Friday, May 27, 2011 at 02:54
Hello Alan, In the early seventies I regularly stopped there for a feed,driving trucks from
Perth to Port Headland,got flooded in one year & slept in truck for about a week there, also changed a motor out in a truck there, with the mechanic & motor coming from
Perth,brings back plenty of memories, just a side note I used to average about 4 flat tires a trip with all the unsealed road those days.
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Follow Up By: TerraFirma - Friday, May 27, 2011 at 12:31
Friday, May 27, 2011 at 12:31
Here is a photo..It exists now as a free spirit. As you drive past if you listen closely you can hear the folk from years ago..!
Barradale Roadhouse
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Reply By: Member - bungarra (WA) - Friday, May 27, 2011 at 19:52
Friday, May 27, 2011 at 19:52
Hi Alan
I used to stop there almost every 2nd weekend to fuel up around 1972 - 1974. At that time there was only a crossing and no
bridge and the highway was still unsealed.
Was working out of
Carnarvon and had friends owning an almost adjoining station to the north of the Barradale and so was up and down all that time between the two.
I can recall one weekend the roadhouse called the
homestead one Sat morning desperate for some staff to get through the weekend as the regulars had walked out for some reason.
My then girlfriend and another went down reluctuantly to help them out (we really had better things to do that weekend). I dont recall they pay that was offered afterwards but my mild mannered girlfriend then realised why the other staff may have walked !..
I was a little astounded to find it missing some years later when we travelled back in that area. I was told a fire and that the owners did see fit to rebuild for whatever reason
AnswerID:
455647
Follow Up By: aboutfivebucks (Pilbara) - Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 00:00
Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 00:00
Was the Nanutarra roadhouse there back in those days?
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728671
Follow Up By: Member - bungarra (WA) - Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 14:04
Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 14:04
Yes
Nanutarra definately there in those days
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728711
Reply By: blown4by - Friday, May 27, 2011 at 22:53
Friday, May 27, 2011 at 22:53
Yeah it burnt down. The bitumen used to end there for many years before they continued sealing the road further North. It was right where the Twitchen Road to
Onslow turns off which was the original road North before all the deviations were put in to service the new iron ore towns in the late 60's early 70's. That was in the days when the only towns betwen
Carnarvon &
Port Hedland were
Onslow & Roebourne. The first road North was travelled by horse drawn wagons and they used to go from station to station for the security of being near a white settlement at night if possible. There is still a bit of rusty steel framwork that can be seen when driving past and that is all that remains of a sign that was near the roadhouse. Was probably in the wrong place after the bitumen went straight past and with Minilya at one end and Nanutarra at the other and everybody in a hurry it was not far enough between fuel stops to be needed so fewer people stopped there. Bit sad really.
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455670
Reply By: equinox - Saturday, May 28, 2011 at 12:03
Saturday, May 28, 2011 at 12:03
Thanks everyone for your answers. A good picture too, love the old coke machine.
It must have been a short lived RH as I have a map from 1949-50 and it is not on that map.
Cheers
Alan
AnswerID:
455698